Insect vacuum

How the insect vacuum works

The fans sit side by side on a metal frame. To the left and right of each fan, a hose blows air into the strawberry crop and startles the insects. As soon as they are in the air, the fan sucks them upwards – kill plates mounted above at a 45° angle do the rest. Height and airflow can be adapted to the crop, and everything is conveniently controlled from the driver’s cab. For transport and manoeuvring, the boom can be folded in on both sides.

Disturb, suck, done.

How the VENTURO works

1. 1Air flows in from diagonally below, past the fruit and into the crop.
2. 2The insects are startled and sucked upwards.
3. 3The angled plates above do the rest.

Benefits

• Mechanical pest control entirely without additional plant protection products
• Counteracts the development of resistance that is encouraged by frequent use of chemical active substances
• The plants remain undamaged – height and airflow can be adapted individually to the crop
• Modular design, suitable for different row and dam widths
• Perfect for use in the polytunnel or on table-top systems
• Developed in cooperation with 4DISC GmbH, specialist in arable and orchard machinery
• Currently also being adapted to other cultivation systems such as green asparagus and leeks

Because the insect vacuum does not work selectively, its use should be planned in a similar way to plant protection products that are hazardous to bees – for example outside the period of bee flight or with the bumblebee boxes closed.

Spotted wing drosophila: a pest for which there are hardly any remedies

Originally from East Asia, the spotted wing drosophila (Drosophila suzukii) has now also arrived in northern Germany and is causing more and more problems for many farms – in strawberry growing as well as in raspberries, blackberries and blueberries.

• Unlike native fly species, it attacks healthy, ripening fruit.
• A female lays up to 400 eggs in the fruit, and the larvae develop within a few days.
• Infested fruit becomes soft and collapses, which additionally encourages fungal infestation.
• Under favourable conditions, up to five generations are possible.
• Effective insecticides are not available in Germany, or only as a time-limited emergency authorisation.

This is exactly where the insect vacuum comes in: it removes the spotted wing drosophila mechanically from the crop – without additional plant protection products. Experts recommend a combination of different measures for this pest, such as frequent picking, rapid cooling after harvest and crop protection nets. VENTURO is added as a mechanical measure without insecticide.

Developed with 4DISC

We are developing the insect vacuum together with 4DISC GmbH. 4DISC builds the machines on our behalf, and they are marketed together with us. The company was founded in 2019 by a community of mechanical engineers and arable and fruit farmers. This combination of agricultural practice and technical know-how enables completely new approaches and solutions for the typical challenges of modern arable and fruit growing.

What happens next?

Development is not yet complete: in the future, Thees is thinking about autonomous carrier vehicles, and a combination with further methods such as UV light against mildew is also conceivable. In addition, the insect vacuum is currently being adapted to further cultivation systems such as green asparagus and leeks.

Source: LAND & FORST, issue 35/2026, “Der Insektensauger – keine heisse Luft” (The insect vacuum – no hot air), Andrea Borsat; information on the spotted wing drosophila from the article “Mit diesem invasiven Schädling ist nicht gut Kirschen essen” (BMLEH, BLE, JKI).